Interpersonal Mindfulness Questionnaire: Scale Development and Validation

Objectives: Previously developed mindfulness measures focused on its intrapersonal dimensions and did not measure the interpersonal aspects of mindfulness. Furthermore, recently developed interpersonal mindfulness measures were either specific to a certain context (e.g., parenting, conjugal, teaching) or omitted/minimized the role of the body in the interpersonal dynamic. The proposed Interpersonal Mindfulness Questionnaire (IMQ) aims to operationalize the theoretical notion of embodied and embedded mindfulness by grounding it into four dimensions, each representing a set of skills that can be cultivated through training and practice: (1) Detachment from the Mind, (2) Body-Anchored Presence, (3) Attention to and Awareness of the Other Person, and (4) Mindful Responding. Methods: The IMQ subscales were developed through consultations with a panel of eight graduate students and ten experts in the field. Three studies were conducted to evaluate the construct, internal consistency, reliability, convergent validity, and utility of the IMQ. Results: Findings from the three studies supported the proposed four subscales of IMQ and suggested that these four subscales are independent and supported by convergent evidence. In addition, results suggested that IMQ subscales’ scores are sensitive to meditation experience and are associated with better intrapersonal and interpersonal outcomes. Conclusions: IMQ subscales are valid and are consistent with the proposed embodied and embedded conception of interpersonal mindfulness. IMQ subscales are associated with intrapersonal mindfulness, but not strongly enough to be conceived as the same phenomenon. Limitations, as well as theoretical and practical implications of IMQ subscales, are thoroughly discussed.